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By Faye Prosser

Here's a big welcome to the folks who took the class in Cary on Saturday! Read on for a number of tips and links to resources that should help you to get started in your couponing adventure and take you to the next level of saving! Some of these we discussed in class and some we did not have time for, so make sure you read through the list.

Daily Smart Shopper blog newsletter: You can have a daily blog e-mail sent to you once a day with a list of all the new posts I have made in the last 24 hours. If anything interests you, just click on the link and it brings you to the blog. It's a good way to remember to check the site daily so you don't miss any new printable coupons or good deals. To sign up for the blog, go to the home page of the Smart Shopper blog and lick on the newsletter link on the right side of the page. Look for "Get the Smart Shopper e-mail newsletter". Once you sign up, WRAL will send you an e-mail once a day at 3:00 PM with the list of threads I've posted. Of course, it is free to sign up.

If you signed up at the class, it will be about a week before you start receiving your blog e-mails. Until then, feel free to read the blog daily through wral.com and click on Smart Shopper.

Price Book: Click the link in the box above to find my price book with the prices to look for when shopping for food and non-food essentials. You may want to print the list so you have it with your coupons while you are shopping.

Grocery Store coupon policies: Click the link in the box above for a summary of the policies as well as links to the store coupon policies on their websites. You may want to print them and have them with you in case there is any coupon confusion.

Drug Store Reward Programs: The link in the box above will lead you to an explanation of the drug store policies.

Printable coupon websites, coupon clipping services, sending expired coupons to military overseas: Click HERE for a list of printable coupon websites from legit companies. These should all scan at the register, as long as the new GS-1 barcode doesn't cause any problems. You'll also find a list of other helpful resources here including how long to freeze food, coupon clipping services and information on where to send expired coupons to our military.

Couponing abbreviations: You will find that couponers speak their own language so it helps to know the lingo. Click the link in the box above for some help cracking the abbreviations code and deciphering the BOGO's from the ECB's.

Donating expired coupons to U.S. military: You can donate your coupons that are expired up to 6 months to our US military overseas who have access to an on-base commissary. For more information click HERE.

Swagbucks: One of the ways I earn free giftcards to CVS (and many other stores) is by using a site called Swagbucks. I use the Swagbucks search engine instead of doing my searches on sites like Google. Click the link in the box above about Mega Swagbucks Friday for all the details on how the program works and to sign up (it's free). You can go directly to the Swagbucks site HERE.

Recyclebank: Not only will you learn about great ways to become more eco-friendly in your home and throughout your community with Recyclebank, you will also be able to earn fabulous freebies and coupons like $10 off $50 purchase at Harris Teeter, $2 off a Kashi product and gift cards to places like Panera, iTunes, Best Buy and more! It's free to join HERE and you can start earning points right away by doing easy activities like watching videos about recycling, pledging to recycle certain products and reading articles about eco-friendly topics.

BzzAgent: Another program I recommend for getting free products to sample, free product coupons and coupons to share is BzzAgent. Click HERE for their website.

Smart Shopper on Facebook and Twitter: For those of you who enjoy the social media sites, you can find the Smart Shopper Facebook page HERE and the Smart Shopper Twitter page HERE.

Questions: Please post your couponing questions in the Share the Deals & Questions post I make every day or in the specific thread for the subject (if there is one). You can submit your questions and share any deals you find in the Comments section at the bottom of the post. In order to post anything, you will need to register, which is free and easy to do.

Thanks again for coming to the class and please share your experiences as you embark on your couponing journey. Have fun!